Lignocellulosic Materials Into Biohydrogen and Biomethane: Impact of Structural Features and Pretreatment

Abstract

Production of energy from lignocellulosic biomass or residues is receiving ever-increasing interest. Among the different processes, dark fermentation for producing biohydrogen and anaerobic digestion for producing biomethane present considerable advantages. However, they are limited by the accessibility of holocelluloses that are embedded in the lignin network. The authors propose a review of works on the conversion of biomass into biohydrogen and biomethane with the comprehensive description of (a) biomass composition and features that may impact on its anaerobic conversion and (b) the impact of different kinds of pretreatment on these features and on the performance of biohydrogen and methane production.

KEY WORDS:

• anaerobic digestion
• biogas
• dark fermentation
• hydrogen
• lignocellulosic biomass
• methane
• physicochemical properties
• pretreatments

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are grateful to ADEME, the French Environment and Energy Management Agency, for financial support in the form of F. Monlau's PhD grant.

Notes

^awithout pretreatment.

^bsurface area (SA) and digestibility of cellulose Avicel treated in the same conditions.

^aEnergy yield 1Nm³ CH₄ = 39790 kJ; 1Nm³ H₂ = 10780 kJ.

^bL CH₄/kg _{DM added} or L H₂/kg _{DM added} or MJ/kg _{DM added}.

^cadapted from the literature.

^aMJ/kg_vs.

^aadapted from the literature.

^bL CH₄/kg_{DM added} or L H₂/kg_{DM added} or MJ/kg_{DM added}.